Franklin showing a little bit of Mattitude

Franklin's Matt Walker has
been sidelined but not silenced. Franklin College Football TD Club photo

Football, like life, can take sudden turns that can take a team
or person in directions never expected.

That happened the second game of the season for Franklin
linebacker Matt Walker. Against Butler, Walker came flying into the
Bulldog backfield on a blitz when an offensive lineman’s hand
accidentally penetrated Walker’s helmet, jamming his right
eye.

The impact has left him without sight in the eye and Walker
recently went through surgery to repair the crushed eye socket.

“Life is too short and we all are learning that you
can’t take anything from granted,” said Franklin coach
Mike Leonard. “The thing about Matt is that no one has
handled it as well as he has. His attitude has been
tremendous.”

The Grizzlies lost the game against Butler, falling to 0-2 after
dropping the opener to No. 1-ranked Mount Union. But Franklin has
gone undefeated in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play as
the Grizzlies try to win their fifth league title and six years.
Leonard said Walker’s attitude has had a positive effect on
the team.

“It was a tragic deal, but he has handled it so
well,” Leonard said. “We’ve come up with the term
‘Mattitude.’ That means having a positive attitude
during times of incredible adversity. That’s a lesson for all
of us to learn. It’s easy to have a great attitude when
things are going well, but how are you going to be when things hit
the fan and nothing’s going right and you’re up against
tragedy. The guys are learning from Matt’s
experience.”

Walker was an honorary Grizzly captain during homecoming this
past Saturday, a school-record 70-20 victory over Earlham. In that
game Franklin scored 56 points by halftime and actually
didn’t score in the fourth quarter.

“We’re not looking for records like that,”
Leonard said of the 70 points. The previous best was in 2010 when
the Grizzlies scored 69 points against Anderson. The game evened
Franklin’s record at 2-2 going into its bye week.

“We had a banner made for Matt that will hang in our end
zone for a long, long time as long as I’m here
coaching.”

Leonard said his team will concentrate on themselves during this
bye week, referring to it as “Griz Week.”

“We’re excited about hitting our stride in
midseason,” Leonard said. “We can’t lose thought
on those little things that are really important. I told the team I
want Charlie who comes to game to be inspired by the way they play
on the field.”

Offensively, Franklin seems to be finding its stride.
Quarterback Jonny West, the HCAC’s offensive player of year
last season, is completing 80.4 percent of his passes in conference
games, going 41-for-51, throwing for six touchdowns against one
interception. He has averaged 258.5 yards a game in the process.
Wide receiver Kyle Linville tops the conference in yards per game
at 87.8 yards and in touchdowns with six. The Grizzlies also top
the HCAC in total offense, averaging 397.8 yards per game.

“When you play good people, it humbles you and it exposes
weaknesses,” Leonard said of West and his team.
“We’re getting him back to the way we know he can play.
I’m very excited about our offensive coordinator Josiah
Sears. He does a great job and I trust him and offense line coach
Andy Hope. They are making us very tough to defend.”

Leonard said he believes his defense is coming along as well,
despite the fact that it’s giving up an average 33.5 points
per game. He was quick to point to its 10 takeaways in four
games.

“A lot of those points have come at the end of
games,” Leonard said. “We like playing a lot of people,
but I’m pleased with the way we’re stopping the run and
we’re doing a great job at taking the ball
away.”

Even though there are some big games ahead, Leonard said his
team will be fine with a little bit of Mattitude.

Mount St. Joseph RB running wild

Despite Mount St. Joseph’s 1-2 start, running back James
Clay is shining bright. In the Lions three games, he has rushed for
more than 200 yards in each contest to lead the nation. Together,
he’s averaging 227.7 yards a game (97-683) with eight
touchdowns. The Louisville, Ky. native has rushed for a high 240
yards in the Lions’ opener against Wilmington.

Game to watch

Elmhurst (3-0) at No. 11 North Central
(2-1)

This could be an interesting game. Elmhurst running back Scottie
Williams is averaging nearly 200 yards per game and is the newly
minted all-time rushing leader at the school. But he will be facing
one of the best defenses in Division III, one that has been
particularly tough against other College Conference of Illinois and
Wisconsin opponents. Something’s got to give.

Clyde Hughes has been writing sports at various times over the past 24 years, covering everything from high school, college and sporting events. A native of football-crazed Texas, Hughes works in Indiana and has written for numerous newspapers and magazines.2003-04 columnist: John Regenfuss